Holiday
by gotmilk
Summary: What do you do when the face of the enemy becomes your own?
1. Know thy self, know thy enemy

-Holiday-

Title: "Holiday"

Rating: PG-13

Status: Complete- 4 chapters and an epilogue. 

Season: Early third season.

Summary: What do you do when the face of the enemy becomes your own? 

Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda. If I did you'd feel really sorry for Harper. :D

Author's notes: Well, I'm at it again. I've stol-- *cough* _borrowed _another plotline from Stargate. I can't help it, folks, they're too much fun! I actually wasn't planning on writing this one, but realized I couldn't do the other I really wanted without having the backstory in this fic. (Any Stargate fans guess which episode? *grin*)

Another Annoying Note That I Just Want To Point Out: If grammar is my opponent, spelling is my arch-nemesis, people. That's just a warning. If you see anything wrong, major or minor, please tell me because I'd love to fix it. I have no (real life) friends interested in Andromeda… so my beta list for this fandom is very short.

-Chapter 1-

~*~

__

"Know thy self, know thy enemy. 

A thousand battles, a thousand victories."

__

-Sun Tzu

~*~ 

There was no doubt in Harper's mind: it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. A sunset on Verdul didn't come close; the prism caves of Salo IV couldn't hold a candle to it; a dozen scantily clad Asga females weren't nearly as tempting. The hoverboard was freakin' perfect.

"_Pleeease, _Dylan. I'll be good, I promise. I'll clean my quarters, I'll do extra maintenance check ups, I'll cook the crew dinner, I'll-- I'll polish your boots with my toothbrush!"

Seamus Harper was three seconds away from getting on his knees and begging shamelessly. Fortunately for the human engineer, and his toothbrush, the man being persuaded gave up.

"Okay, Harper," Dylan said, throwing both hands in the air. "You're right. With all the upgrades you've been doing, you _do _deserve a bonus."

"So, you'll pay half?" Harper asked.

"I'll pay more than half."

"O captain my captain-- you _so_ rock!" Harper blurted, throwing his arms around the taller man. Looking down at the blonde head planted in his chest, Dylan shrugged and glanced up at Tyr.

The Nietzschean raised an eyebrow. "Remind me to never get him a gift of any kind." He looked away. "Not that I ever planned to anyway."

As Harper let go of his asphyxiating hold on Dylan, Beka crossed her arms and came to stand before her commanding officer. "You know Dylan, if you give a mudfoot a mug of beer, they're gonna want another. If you give them-"

"I would not!" Harper protested, turning towards his longtime friend. "Though I could use a new tool belt, hint hint."

"In your dreams, Seamus. The last new thing I bought you ended up in Andromeda's garbage disposal." 

As Harper opened his lips to reply, Dylan put a hand up to stop the retort. "Look, I've got to get to the meeting with the High Councilor. I allowed you to come Harper because I knew you'd want to see the Hover Convention for yourself, so be good." He looked at Tyr and Beka. "You two as well."

"What?" Beka asked, mouth dropping. "I'm appalled you think so little of me."

Dylan smiled. "You tend to attract trouble, Beka. Andromeda has the statistics." He handed Harper a creditchip and then turned towards the shop's exit. "I'll contact you in an hour and we'll rendezvous. Have fun you three."

"Statistics my ass," Beka mocked at Dylan's retreating form, but glanced over at Tyr. "He was joking… right?"

The Nietzschean choose not to comment. 

Off by the counter, Harper made the final transaction for his new board. When he returned to the others Beka was the first to notice the lack of purchase in his arms.

"Where's the board?" she asked.

"I'm getting it personalized. The guy said he could have it delivered to the ship in about a day. We were planning on staying at least that long anyway."

"It's time to leave then," Tyr said, staring off towards the door. "We've wasted enough time here already."

Rolling his eyes, Harper followed, Beka close behind. As they exited the shop he clutched the purchase chip tightly in his hand, unwilling to lose the precious bit of technology that named him owner of the brand new hoverboard.

Outside the streets were filled with people-- Harper's kind of people. The engineer had wanted nothing more than to kiss Lady Luck when Dylan told him the Andromeda was stopping on Kabelea for Commonwealth charter talks. The same week as Hov-Con XXVI.

"Where to now?" Beka asked, gently resting her hand on her forcelance. She didn't expect to use it of course, but being on land tended to put her off sometimes. On the _Maru _she could outrun anything. On strange terra firma she felt… trapped.

"I'd prefer something to eat," Tyr said, looking over at the people carrying food around them. "We've been here for several hours already."

"I could do with some chow," Harper added. "My stomach's about to start munching on itself."

"Food it is then," Beka said, motioning towards the carts lining the street. "Pick a type any type."

~*~

The threesome spent thirty standard minutes eating and watching the crowd around them. After each finding at cart with suitable provisions, they'd converged in a tiny center of the city. Not _the_ center, the metropolis was too large for that, but in several areas breaks in the buildings allowed for people to sit and relax. There was no better place for the venders. 

Harper stared off into a fountain, watching the water bubble and fall. He tossed a piece of his lunch next to the stone edge. A tiny flock of birds (what kind he couldn't say) saw the morsel and dived for it, squawking at each other angrily. He'd seen people throw money into fountains, but the practice made little sense to him. He had never really understand why anyone would waste money on such an activity. Back home those few little coins could have gone towards bread or clothing, not wishes. Wishing didn't work… most of the time.

"Do you remember that planet, Seamus? Leku something?" 

Harper turned his head to look at Beka. She popped the last bit of food into her mouth and continued. 

"It was about a month after I'd picked you up from Earth. I had to make a supply run and you went down with me. I left you for a _minute _and when I came back you were diving in that fountain for the money. I had to drag your wet butt out of there before the people lynched us." She smiled, putting an arm over his shoulder. "For a guy who didn't like water too much, you were pretty eager to jump in."

"You had to tell it," Harper muttered, ducking from under her arm and frowning. "How was I supposed to know the money went to the local orphanage? I saw free credits and went for 'em. Finders keepers, Beka."

"Yeah," she answered, "but you wouldn't of been able to _keep _your head, and I wouldn't of been able to _find _the rest of your body if we'd stayed there much longer. You ticked off a lot people down there. There were _Wayists_ chasing you, Harper."

"How could I forget? One of the monks tripped over his robes and knocked the other two over," Harper answered, barely restraining his laugh. He sobered a moment later, looking up at Beka. "If Rev were here right now he'd tell me I was committing a sin. 'Now Master Harper, thou shalt not tease religious figures.'"

"At least _those _priests weren't Magog," she added. "That chase wouldn't of lasted long."

"Don't remind me," Harper muttered then felt eyes, other than Beka's, staring at him. "What?"

"I said nothing," Tyr said, crossing his dark arms. 

"You didn't _say _say anything, but I know that look," Seamus replied. "It's your 'The- Little-Professor's-psychotic-and-I-should-end-his-miserable-little-existence-right- now' look." 

"Harper," Tyr said, staring down at the human's head, "I don't know why you feel the need to quote the entire crew this afternoon, but that was not what I wanted to tell you. I was _going _to say it would be in your best interest to throw the rest of your lunch away before you're mauled by a flock of birds. With teeth."

Harper turned quickly, taking note of the dozen or so creatures eyeing him hungrily. "Teeth?" he gulped.

"Yes."

"Good birdies," Harper muttered, opening his palm and quickly tossing the remaining morsels to the side. Sure enough the birds swept down upon the food, fighting each other for the crumbs.

When Harper glanced towards Tyr again the Nietzschean's back was slightly turned, but he swore he could almost see Tyr smiling. 

"Come on you two. We didn't come down here for idol chatter," Beka said and smiled, showing a row of pearly whites. "Lets go shopping."

"I prefer to call it procuring what we need," Tyr replied as he glanced back at her.

"Men," Beka muttered dolefully and pointed to her left. "Lets head this way."

The three walked onward, glancing occasionally inside the various shops. Harper was content to let them gander but he had plans on heading towards the convention center sooner or later. The newest hoverboards were being displayed, along with every accessory a rider could want. Dek Farplay was also scheduled to appear later in the day and he didn't want to miss it. He'd had a long conversation with Rommie when she'd asked who Dek Farplay was. Besides being the best hoverboard rider in three galaxies, he'd passed nearly every record to become the master of the sport. For Harper, meeting Dek would have been like meeting The Devine, up close and personal. 

"Why don't we take a transport? It'll get us to the center faster," Harper suggested. He looked at Tyr. "Well go ahead, wave one down or something. Use your brute strength." 

"I thought you knew where this place was, Harper?" Beka asked.

"I have a map… but I think it's wrong."  


"You have a map," Tyr repeated, "but it's _wrong_?"

"I uh, got it from some guy on the side of the road," he murmured, shouldering past his friends. "Fine. Forget the transport. I think it's this way."

Beka and Tyr glanced at each other a moment then hesitantly followed their wayward engineer.

Twenty minutes later the pair was ready to strangle that same engineer.

"I thought-- hmm, it's got to be this way-- I swear it was this way," Harper garbled out, gripping the flexi in his hand. "This says that the center should be right here."

"There aren't any people, Harper," Tyr said while looking around him. "This isn't it."

"Thank you Señor Obvious," Seamus said. He glanced around him at the empty buildings then peered over at the others. "Maybe there's someone inside who knows. These look like old apartments."  
  
"Harper," Beka replied, "these look like old abandoned factories."  
  
"Doesn't mean there isn't anyone there. Trust me, on Earth abandoned factories were like luxury hotels. Come on," Harper said.

Rolling her eyes, Beka extended a hand towards the building. "You first. Maybe you're map will help."

"You're about as funny dipoid measles," the engineer muttered as he walked towards the entrance. "Trust me on that, I've had 'em twice. They're a hoot."

He paused a moment before the wide door. Carefully putting one hand on his gun, he used the other to touch the keypad embedded on the wall. It beeped at him but reluctantly allowed them access. With a bit of a groan the door slid open to reveal an empty room. No, a very dusty, empty room that didn't appear to have had much foot traffic in the last decade or two.

"Honey, I'm home," Beka muttered. 

"Hold on, hold on," Harper said glancing around the room. "There's another door over there."

"And on to door number two. There better be a good prize, Harper." Beka grinned at the blonde engineer, though he refused to take the bait.

Touching the 'open' key next to the entrance, Harper waited to hear the metallic hiss of the doors coming apart. When nothing happened he blinked and hit it again. Still nada.

"Come on, Professor," Tyr said, glancing outside the first entry way. "There's nothing here."

"Hold your equines," Harper said, reaching into a side pocket and producing his port's jack cable. Gently inserting one end into his cerebral port and the other into the keypad, Harper searched for the locking mechanism. It was a tough code, but he'd yet to find one he couldn't bypass.

"Seamus, this isn't smart," Beka said.

"Call me curious."

"Dad used to tell me curiously killed the captain," she replied, looking back at Tyr.

The door hissed open and Beka turned back to glare. Harper unhooked the cable and stored it in his pocket. 

"There we go. It just needed to say '_auh' _for Doctor Harper."

When Beka didn't responded to his comment, Harper looked up to see her no longer glaring. She wasn't even looking at him, but past him. Twisting himself sideways, Seamus gazed into the new room.

"Harper," Captain Valentine finally said from behind him, "I take that abandoned comment back."

The engineer nodded slowly as he stepped forward. Unlike the dilapidated exterior, the room looked about as high-tech as the Andromeda Ascendant's bridge. It was smaller than what he expected and the gray, marble colored walls were plain, but the ceiling ascended much higher than that of Command back on the ship. It faintly reminded Harper of his workspace in the machine shop, save for the long red shrouds that hung over some of the tables. He could faintly make out the colors and the shapes of the pieces of machinery on display behind the curtains but no specific details.

"Look at all this stuff," Seamus muttered, peering down at a counter full of unknown, yet tempting technology. 

Beka stared as well, walking towards one of the tables. "Looks like somebody's closed up for the winter." She gently pushed aside one of the red curtains to pick up a small device that appeared similar to a flexi. Not sure which button activated it, Beka touched three colored icons before the sheet lit up. "Interesting."

"What?" Tyr asked, coming to stand over her right shoulder.

"It looks like a flexi that's been-- modified. I can't read any of this though."

"Hey guys," Harper said. When they turned to look at him he pointed towards a shrouded alcove of the room. "I wonder what's in there."

"I am in there."

All three crew members drew their weapons, aiming at the alcove. It was dimly lit but even in the low light the figure of a person could be seen clearly making its way out. Pushing through the crimson material that covered the archway was an old man. From what Harper could guess, he looked like he was going on ninety-- in human years.

"I am unarmed."

"And you are?" Beka asked, her forcelance pointed directly at the man's chest. 

The stranger leaned forward a bit, his back hunched up to the point of bending over, but said nothing.

It was Tyr who moved first. Walking forward, forehead wrinkling in a moment of contemplation, he came within a foot of the man and matched the elder's unwavering blue gaze. "Your name is Machello."

"Do I know you?" the man asked, tilting his head ever so slightly.

"No," Try answered, "but as a boy I was shown images of you. It's been many years but--" He turned towards Beka and Harper. "This man is an enemy of Nietzscheans. I remember my father hunting him when I was a child."

"What did he do?" Harper asked. The old guy didn't look like an enemy of the Niets to him. More likely a victim.

"He was creating technology to fight Nietzscheans and the Magog. Weapons and chemicals programmed to attack the very genetics of both races," Tyr said coolly. "I know of nearly a dozen destroyed Magog nests all due to this man."

For someone staring at an so-called archenemy, Harper thought, his friend look rather calm. 

"He was captured and tortured," Tyr went on, "but before they could extract anything he killed several guards and escaped."

"_He _did all that?" Beka asked uncertainly. 

"I am not this person you speak of," the man, Machello, said as he turned back towards the alcove. "You are mistaken. I have been here a very long time. Alone."

"Uh, look, you don't have to be afraid," Harper responded, stepping forward to catch the stranger. "We're not Nietzscheans. At least she and I aren't. And him," he pointed over at Tyr, "well he's a little short on bone blades so you really can't call him a full enemy."

"We're not?" the man asked, facing Harper and widening his eyes. "Of course we are not! But-- if we are not Nietzscheans, who are we?"

Harper glanced at Beka but the blonde captain only shrugged. "Well, uh, I'm Harper. Seamus Harper from the planet Earth."

"Yes!" the man exclaimed, hitting his foot against the ground. "That's right-- I am Seamus Harper from the planet Earth. Pleased to meet you!"

"Uh, no-- no, _I'm _Seamus Harper."

"No!" Machello exclaimed. "I am Seamus Harper!"

"Oh boy," Beka muttered, turning towards the man. "Uh, hey, so what is all this stuff? Weapons to fight the Nietzscheans? Or Magog?"

"Yes," the man agreed, "weapons to fight the Nietzscheans and Magog!"

"Sweet," Harper said, staring towards the shrouded items. "You think you could show us how they work?"

Machello stared at the earthling a moment, his blue eyes roaming from Harper's body. "Are we sure we are not Nietzschean?"

"Hell yeah." Harper didn't think Tyr would be too happy with this idea, but weapons to fight Magog (not that he didn't mind killing few Niets) would be a great asset to Andromeda's armory. 

"You! You!" the man cried, pointing at Harper. "Here, quickly! Inventions to fight the Nietzscheans!" 

Shrugging his shoulders, Harper followed Machello to one of the smaller pedestals. The old man pulled off one of the shrouds, revealing a outlandish looking device. Though the craftsmanship was advanced, it reminded Seamus of two bicycle handles pasted together. He guessed the device to be about two feet high with the handles on each side measuring about three. Both sets of them jetted out a edge of the device. Machello came to stand before one set of the handles, motioning for him to move to the adjacent one. 

"Now what?" Harper asked as he came to rest across from the old man. Machello placed his hands on each side of the grips, waiting for the engineer to do the same. Harper complied.

As Beka watched the two converse, her forcelance slowly began to lower. The man had been unarmed, and she didn't hesitate to think Harper could take him if he tried something. And that was saying a lot on Harper's part.

As Seamus submitted to the elderly man's request and placed his hands on the machine, Beka felt her curiosity peak. Until that is, both Harper and the man froze, eyes widening in shock. She could smell the distinct odor of electricity burning something as both men let go of the device at the same time. Beka was about to ask if they were alright but she didn't get a chance-- the old man toppled backwards with a moan and hit the floor. 

"Harper?" she asked, voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine-- I think," Harper said, stepping around the pedestal to stare down at Machello. "Are you all right, sir?"

Tyr moved to he elderly man and placed two fingers under his neck. "He has a faint pulse."

Sheathing her lance, Beka nodded at Tyr. "Help me get him up and we'll take him back to the ship." When he asked her why she just shrugged, reaching for the man's arm. "This might have been our fault. The least we can do is get him some decent medical treatment. Have you _seen _the hospitals on this planet?"

After the pair lifted Machello off the floor, Tyr carefully picked the smaller man up in his arms and sighed. "Lets move then. We have a long walk."

~*~ TBC…. ~*~

So, what do you think so far? Is it time to get out the rotten tomatoes? Come on, I can take 'em. The chapters for this story are fewer than my last (insert shameless plug here) so the slower exposition has pretty much been covered. If you know the Stargate episode I think you know what's what. If not, stay tuned.

It takes around 30 seconds to review. Hey… what else are you going to be doing for the next half of a minute? (Look, you just spend like ten reading this. Get to reviewing!)


	2. A human being is not to be handled as a ...

A lot of stuff happens in this chapter… a lot. I tried to follow the episode but when I watched it again realized just how choppy the scenes were. They switch back and forth rapidly the entire time, so I tried to elongate these particular scenes as much as possible in this chapter and the next three. Bare with me here.

-Chapter 2-

~*~

The conception of worth, that each person is an end per se,

is not a mere abstraction. Every outcry against the oppression 

of some people by other people, or against what is morally hideous 

is the affirmation of the principle that a human being as such is not 

to be violated. A human being is not to be handled as a tool but 

is to be respected and revered.

-Felix Adler

~*~

Picking up the flexi with Harper's med chart, Trance walked over to her friend who was perched atop an empty bed.

"Well, everything seems fine," she said, laying the flexi next to him. "All your numbers are normal."

"Good," Harper replied softly. "I feel fine." 

Crossing her arms, Trance stared at the human. He was fidgety-- which wasn't anything new-- but it seemed off to her. He felt different, even if the machines didn't pick up on it. "Really? You just-- appear to be a little out of it Harper. Is something bothering you?"

Seamus paused a moment, as if thinking about his answer, then finally responded, "No, I'm just exhausted."

Smiling gently Trance sat next to him. "Well, that's not unusual for someone who just received a high voltage electric shock. Any idea what that machine was supposed to do?"

Harper shook his head.

"Okay," Trance went on, "if you're not back to normal in a couple of days let me know. Oh, and I don't want you hoverboarding for a while."

She waited for the complaining to commence but it never came. He just nodded and slide from the bed to leave, though paused briefly in front of Machello's table. "How is he?"

Getting up, Trance came to stand by the unconscious man in question. "Not good. He has severe scar tissue all over his body. Looks like he was burned or electrocuted. Tyr did say he was tortured. Whatever they did to him, it must have been… awful."

"He's not going to live much longer is he?" Harper asked, eyes roaming the bed and the form it contained.  


Trance sighed. "I don't think so. Not even the technology on the Andromeda can prevent the inevitable."

Staring at the man one last time, Harper walked towards the door and disappeared.

Laying a gentle hand on the Machello's forehead, Trance stared down into his face. Even now, in blessed unconsciousness, he was looked pained, and she briefly wondered if death itself would be enough to take away his torment.

~*~

"Lets continue without Harper," Dylan said as he took his seat at the table. "Rommie, you were about to brief us on the flexi?"

"Yes, sir," Rommie said, picking up the described device. "What this appears to be is a database for all of Machello's inventions. The icons act like they do on a typical flexi-- you press one and a schematic diagram appears with notes."  
  
"Any idea what it says?"  
  
"Well Dylan, that's the problem. So far the dialect appears to be unknown. I'm running a search on it for patterns but that will take time."

Before she could continue the door slide opened and Harper appeared, quietly lurking outside. 

"Glad to see you could make it, Mr. Harper," Dylan said, swiveling his chair towards the young engineer. 

"I apologize," Harper said, taking a seat next to Tyr.

"How are you feeling?"

Harper looked at the others around him, then back at Dylan. "Tired. Trance says it will wear off in a few days." He faintly smiled. "I'll be fine."

"We were discussing the flexi Beka found," Dylan went on. "Any ideas on decoding it, Harper?"

The blonde human looked at the device handed to him but shook his head. "No."

"We'll keep trying," Hunt said, "this could be some valuable technology. Rommie, continue the search on the dialect. You know what to do if you find anything." He stood up but Harper's voiced caused him to pause.

"I-- I was wondering if it would be okay to go back to the planet?" he calmly asked. "I know I'm not allowed to hoverboard, but I would still like to attend the convention… if that's okay with you?"

Dylan looked over at Beka who shrugged. "I don't see a problem with that. I'm sure Beka--"

"Won't take him again," Valentine interrupted. "Conventions bore me to tears." 

"All right," Dylan said, "I have to go back to meet with the High Councilor anyway. I'll borrow the _Maru _and he can ride down with me."

"Be good to my ship," Beka command, "and don't let any of those hoverboarding freaks near it. I don't want them chipping the exterior."

"What's there to ruin?" Tyr asked, receiving a furious glare from the female across from him. He narrowed his eyes. "It was merely a question."

~*~

Setting the _Maru _down in an empty docking bay, Hunt unstrapped himself from the pilot's chair and stood up.

"I'm afraid there's no telling how long I'll be," he said, straightening his uniform accordingly. "The High Councilor will provide me with transportation back to the Andromeda, so spend a few hours down here and head on back. Trance said she didn't want you down here more than three hours anyway."

"All right," Harper answered and followed the larger man towards the hatch.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dylan asked, stopping short of the exit way. 

Harper paused and looked up. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Dylan answered, then smiled and waved a hand in empty air. "Just ignore me. Go have fun Harper."

The smaller human nodded as he made his way past Dylan and out the hatchway.

Hunt watched his engineer catch sight of a female and follow her towards the city.

"Even electrocution can't keep those hormones down," the captain murmured to himself. Hitting the keypad, Dylan closed the hatch and moved towards the Royal escort waiting for him.

~*~

Running a towel through her damp hair, Beka followed the corridor heading towards med deck. She'd been finishing up a shower when Andromeda had commed, telling her he was needed at once. Beka wiped a bead of water off her check and sighed. There weren't explosions or warning sirens going off. There didn't seem to be enough peril to pull her out of a shower. 

"Beka."

Tyr jumped the last rungs of the ladder he'd used to change decks. "I assume we're headed towards the same place."

"You have any idea why?" Beka asked, throwing the towel over her shoulder.

"No."

"Well," she said, "my guess is that the old guy bought it. Any bets?"

"I'll save my credits," Tyr said.

"Whatever."   


When the pair was within sight of med deck, Rommie approached from another corridor. "After you," the android said, sweeping her hand towards the opening. 

All three proceeded inside, finding both Trance and Andromeda's hologram surrounding Machello's bed.

"You called?" Beka asked, staring at Andromeda's shimmering form.

"Beka, Tyr, Rommie. Finally."

Captain Valentine raised an eyebrow towards the very much alive man in the bed. "How does this gentlemen know our names?" she asked curtly.

Trance was about the answer but the old man's voice cut her off. It was weaker than before, the way any 90 year-old human generally sounded. The vibrant air he'd had earlier was gone. 

"As I've been trying to tell Trance and Andromeda here, I'm not Machello. I'm Harper."

"Here we go," Beka muttered, glancing over at Tyr. He returned her amused gaze.

"Look," Machello replied, "I know what I look like but I'm telling you-- that machine somehow switched us."

"He knows a lot about Harper," Trance confirmed, looking towards the threesome who'd just entered.

"Ask me anything," the man said nasally. "Something only Harper would know."

"All right," Rommie said, stepping forward and placing her both hands on her hips casually, "what does Harper consider to be his greatest creation?"

The man smiled gently up at the robot. "You."

Rommie raised an eyebrow at Beka. "He's right."

"Okay, lucky guess," Beka said and leaned towards him, peering into his wrinkled face. "Harper grew up in a refugee camp. What city was it in?"

"Boston," the man replied without hesitation. "We were near the harbor."

The room was silent, each waiting for each other to confirm what they were all thinking. Tyr was the last to step forward, coming to a pause next the old man's bed. "A final question: describe for us, in detail, the dress your sister wore when I took her to the Alren gala two weeks ago."

For a moment Beka thought the Nietzschean had the old man bested. Until that is, the geezer gently raised himself a bit to stare the dark man in the face. "I don't have a sister Tyr, and if I did, I wouldn't let you near her."

Trance and Rommie smiled at each other as Tyr backed away, crossing his arms. Beka tilted her head a moment to stare at the occupant of the bed. "Okay, so lets assume for a moment that you _are _Harper." She looked around at the others. "Then who the hell did we just send down to that planet?"

~*~

Frey watched a gaggle of humanoids near, their voices high pitched with excitement. They looked pretty well off; it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey!" he called, hoping to catch one's attention. Sure enough, one of the men turned towards him as they passed. "Spare any credits?"

The stranger snorted and walked on, ignoring the other's plea for money. "Hannon Le," Frey muttered, slipping briefly into his native language.

His eyes went back to the streets and the crowds of people milling about. Someone had to be willing to spare a little money. He needed something decent to eat or he'd go nuts. He was tired of fighting with the naja birds for scraps. Just one of those little buggers could scratch the heck out of him. An entire flock would take an eye.

Frey's turned to see a woman walking towards him, trailed by a man who appeared to be either a servant or her husband. With all the bags he was carrying there was no way to tell. 

"Hey, lady! Just a little bit of money, that's all I'm asking!" 

The woman, like most of the others, walked around him. Frey rolled his eyes and looked towards the sidewalk. This time his eyes fell upon someone but it wasn't because they looked rich. They looked-- insane. A blonde human was walking-- or trotting-- besides a group of people trying to get their attention. They swatted at him as if he were a fly. 

Frey stepped closer, edging around an empty food cart to listen.

"Hello friend," the little man was saying to a passing pedestrian. "I am new to this area. I would like to learn about your culture and customs. Will you teach me?" The walker moved on, ignoring the question. 

"Do you not understand me?" the human called to the figure's retreating back.  
  
"Spare any change?" Frey asked as the stranger approached the cart he was standing by.

"Why does no one answer me?" the blonde asked, his young face plastered with a look of pure incomprehension.  


Frey scratched his head a second, gently twirling one of his short anatine. "'Cause you're strange."

The man's eyes widened. "Am I? Tell me _how _I am strange."

"Well, look, you can't be just walking up to people you don't know on the street. Talking all weird like that. Asking for stuff."

The human tiled his head. "Isn't that what you are doing?"

"Well yeah, but--" the blue haired humanoid stuttered.

"Then you must be strange as well!" the kid exclaimed.

Frey actually smiled at that one. "I've been called worse. Sure-- I'm strange too."

"I am called Machello," the blonde said, laying a hand on Frey's shoulder.

"I'm Frey."

The human nodded happily. "Then let us feast together, Frey. And celebrate our _strangeness _and new found friendship."

Frey looked unsure, staring down at the little human. He didn't look poor… maybe the kid had a little money. "On you?" he asked hesitantly.

The human, Machello, look confused but smiled openly, blue eyes shinning. "If that is the custom," he said, taping his hand on his chest, "then we will feast _on me_."

~*~

"What do you have for us Trance?" Dylan asked, taking a seat at the conference table.

"Well," the golden alien said, "medically speaking, he's an elderly man suffering from acute pulmonary damage, with the conscious awareness and memory of Harper."

"How?" Dylan asked.

Trance shook her head. "I can't tell you the method used to do it, but I can tell you that a human's personality, their memory, their conscious selves, are derived from a unique network of neurons in the cerebral cortex; somehow Harper's networks were remapped onto the old man's by that device."

"So this could be a one way deal, right?" Beka interrupted. "I mean, we don't know it went both ways. Harper could still be-- _Harper_."

Dylan turned towards his first officer. "He was supposed to leave the planet hours before I did. I've been back an hour and he's not returned."

"Nor responded to our comm," Rommie added.

Beka nodded, placing her hands on the table. "There you go. Lets go find him then."

"And if he isn't Harper?" Tyr asked.  
  
Dylan sighed. "We're going to have to prepare for that possibility. Trance?"

The acting medical officer on the ship shook her head. "This problem is behind my expertise, Dylan. I can fix most human illnesses and injuries, but this isn't your run of the mill case. I'm going to need time to see if something can be done. If anything."

"Dylan, wouldn't it just be easier if we went back, got the machine and tried to-- I don't know... slam it into reverse?" Beka asked.

"All right," Hunt agreed. "I'll allow you to retrieve it. But consider that device hazardous material. Prepare yourselves accordingly."

~*~

Fully dressed in the ship's biochemical protected suit, Beka felt like she was wrapped in tarp. Thankfully they hadn't had to put it on until they'd reached the building. She couldn't imagine the bizarre looks the city's populace would have given her. She sighed. First she'd worry about the device, then finding her ship. It was several kilometers away, still parked where Dylan had left it in a crowded docking bay. The High Councilor had permitted them to borrow one of their transport vessels, but it didn't fly like the _Maru_. Nothing flew like the _Maru_.

"I'm going to check out Machello's room," Trance said, stepping away from Tyr and Beka. "There could be more flexis-- maybe one we can actually read."

"Go ahead, but be careful about touching anything in there," Beka said, waving friends towards the alcove. She looked over at Tyr, who was equally garbed. "Come on, help me get this hunk of junk."

Pulling out two magnetic handholds, Beka slipped the device's handles into the holes on the handholds until each side was completely covered. She let go and motioned for Tyr to do the same.

"On three," Beka said. "One, two--"

"Beka!"

The blonde captain felt her heart skip a beat. Literally. She turned to glare at her friend who was sticking her head out of the alcove. "_Trance_."

"Sorry," Trance amended, pointing into the dark room. "I think I know how Machello has lived so long. There's some sort of medical device in here. There are at least a dozen tubes and thermal units attached to it. Like some kind of-- life support."

"Machello was conscious when we found him," Tyr observed.

"Yes," Trance answered, "but maybe it was triggered to shut down when the door opened. I really need to study this. It could possibly keep Harper alive, at least until we find a way to switch him back." She frowned. "If Rommie and I can figure out how to get it to work again."

Beka nodded. "How long?"

"I don't know. Like I said, a lot of time."

"Well, lets worry about getting this back to the ship," Beka said, raising her gloved hands above the handholds placed on the device and watching Tyr do the same. "This might be all we need. On three, Tyr. One. Two. Three."

Trance paused a moment, looking away from the alcove and back towards her friends. The air felt… different. It was almost as if it was full of electricity. She looked over at her friends. Tyr and Beka were silent, standing motionless across from each other, hands still gripping the handholds attached to the device. Trance stepped towards them and raised her eyebrows curiously. 

"What?"

~*~

As the transport settled into Andromeda's docking bay, Dylan waited impatiently for the doors to open and reveal the rest of his crew. Usually he didn't allow himself to show irritation in such a manner, but this situation was different. It wasn't a firefight where he could just blast himself free. No, this situation was extraordinarily unique. Your shipmates didn't just suddenly age sixty years for no apparent reason. 

He paused and took a deep breath, hoping that whatever the others had found would be able to help.

"Here they are," Andromeda announced over the comm as the door slide open. Beka was the first to exit, followed by Tyr. Trance was in back controlling the large hover disk that the device sat on. Dylan watched his first officer pull off her protective helmet, blonde hair mused from the enclosed headgear. 

"How did it go, Beka?" 

The woman crossed her arms and stared hard at Dylan a moment before answering, "_It _did not go well."

Confused by her drab tone, Dylan could only frown in her general direction.

Next to Beka, Tyr ripped off his helmet and threw it to the ground. "Ya think?!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around his chest franticly. The Nietzschean then rolled his eyes, angrily forced his hands onto his hips, and stared silently at the befuddled High Guard Captain.

Dylan's eyes roamed to the back of the pair in search of Trance. When his gaze locked onto hers, face begging for an answer, all the alien girl could do was chuckle nervously. 

He stared back at Tyr and Beka again, blinked, then looked once more for good measure.

"Oh boy."

~*~

TBC…

~*~

Review this story now and I'll send you your very own Lord of the Rings character of choice for just three easy payments of $29.99. (Legolas is $10 more, plus shipping. He's currently on back order so expect up to six weeks for delivery.) I have a great selection of Moria Orcs and Wack-A-Fish Gollum left though, so hurry and review. Time is running out! Oh, and if you can guess the LOTR reference from the story I'll throw in an extra Hobbit. (Excluding any of the Brandybuck, Took, Baggins, or Gamgee genus.)

Explaining Machello's device was rather… difficult. So, for anyone who couldn't picture it I was going to attach a link to an image but it won't allow it on the upload. I've tried to figure it out but FFNET hates me. If you're interested, you can go to Gateworld.net, hit the Stargate section, Season 2, episode 18 "Holiday". They also have a nice Andromeda episode guide. Not extremely indebt, but nice.

…

B.L.A. the Mouse-- The episode "Holiday" aired late in Stargate's second season. 

Drakcir--Yes, Harper does make a good Daniel. They're both the whipping boy's of their fandoms (especially in fanfic). lol

Echo24--Danny-centric episodes are my favorites of course. Anytime our Lovable Archeologist gets to be front and center is a good day. There are so many possibilities for future Andromeda stories with a "twist". The First Ones. Crystal Skull. Need. Fire and Water… and oh, another one involving a certain loony bin and padded walls. ;D

…

Happy "Holidays" everyone. :D 


	3. O blow ye evil winds into my body's fire

-Chapter 3-

~*~

__

O blow ye evil winds  
into my body's fire  
my soul you'll never unravel.

Even though disappointed a thousand times  
or fallen in the fight  
and everything would worthless seem, I have lived amidst eternity --  
be grateful, my soul --  
my life was worth living.

__

-Norbert Capek

~*~ 

  
"This is extremely uncomfortable." 

Beka paused her pacing to stare at-- herself. "How do you think I feel, Tyr? I-- I've got parts I was never meant to have!"

The Nietzschean male looked down at his very feminine body. "I know the feeling."

Beka began to pace again.

"You really should stop that," Tyr said, leaning back into the seat. "I don't do anxious very well."

"And I don't do Nietzschean very well," retorted Beka, "but look at me now."

Trance choice that moment to enter, breaking apart the appending quarrel before it happened. Rommie followed a second after.

"Hi," Trance greeted, laying a pile of flexis and other workpads on an empty bed.

"Have they located the Little Professor's body?" Tyr asked. 

"Not yet," Rommie answered, "but Dylan is going to ask the High Councilor for assistance. He should known the answer relatively soon."  
  
Trance stepped closer to Beka and Tyr. "We have some good news-- we've found a way to turn on Machello's flexis." She shrugged a bit. "The problem is, all of the notations are in the same unknown dialect."

"How exactly is that good news?" Beka asked, spreading her unusually large hands.

"Well," Trance said, "the flexis have a good chance of being translated if we let Andromeda keep working on the code… but in the mean time, now I have you two to experiment with. If we can help you, than that gives us some hope for when we find Harp-- err, Machello. Hopefully by them we will be able to reverse the process. Assuming of course, it's reversible."  
  
"Can we just get on with this?" Beka interrupted.

Trance nodded and the ship's avatar moved forward to elaborate. "We were unable to find any switches on the device, but we believe it to be triggered by the handles themselves. I've run several scans but we still know very little about how the machine works. Trance and I would like to see what happens when we experiment with the handles."

"Experiment away," Beka intoned.

"All right," Rommie said, "first, I want you two to grasp them normally."

Tyr and Beka followed the android's command and came to stand before the device. Looking briefly at each other, both took hold of the handles. The pair tensed for a moment then let go. Tyr's face looked up towards Trance, but it was Beka's consciousness that answered. "Nope. Still Nietzschean." 

"Okay," Rommie went on, "try switching handles. Change sides."

Following instructions, Tyr and Beka traded positions. Calmly Beka gripped the handles and watched her body to the same. She paused as a brief electric current hit her then waited for it to stop. When it ceased, she looked down to find herself still wearing chainmail. Captain Valentine sighed. It was going to be one of those days.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Frey stopped before one of his favorite restaurants and smiled up at its sign. It was small and the food was greasy, but it tasted like heaven. Holding the door, he waited for the little human to enter. 

Machello paused before the doorway to scan the interior. When he seemed satisfied that everything was in order he preceded inside. A pretty waitress spotted the pair and made her way over, pulling an ordering pad out of her pocket as she walked. 

"Can I help you?"

"Hello," greeted the blonde, "this is Frey. I am Machello. We have come to feast on me." He gazed over at the seated people and called louder, "In fact, let everyone here feast on me!"

The crowd looked up the newcomer and began to murmur amongst themselves.

"You celebrating something?" the woman asked.

"Indeed we are," Machello said, smiling at Frey then at the woman, "_life_."

The brunette waitress grinned back, tapping her ordering pad on her other hand. "Okay… but you're going to need a creditchip."

The human tilted his head a moment. "A creditchip… where would I find such a chip?"  


"Usually in your pocket."

Machello put a hand into his pocket searching for what the woman requested. When he found one completely empty-- save for a few balls of lint--, he reached into the other and pulled out an odd metallic square.

"Will this do?" he asked.

The female reached for the chip and nodded. "Absolutely."

As she took the offered chip, Frey watched as Machello stared at the woman. When the waitress noticed she was being watched she raised a dark eyebrow.

"You are one of the most enchanting woman I have seen in my lifetime," Machello incited. "I would be honored with a kiss."

Two eyebrows now went up as the woman looked at the smaller man. Shaking her head she laughed and turned, motioning them to follow. "I bet you would."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Harper let his body fall back against the bed, wishing there was more padding to the hard, sterile surface. A soft pillow (like the four he kept on the bed in his quarters) wouldn't have prevented the aches that penetrated his body, but they would have helped.

"It's useless."   


Trance looked up at her friend and frowned. "No, it's not, Andromeda has already concluded that it's a mixture of ancient Perseid and Acronic. We're getting closer, Harper."

"You keep saying that," Seamus replied, "but I've seen what she's gotten so far. I don't consider myself a linguist-- it's true what Beka says about me being unable to speak Common-- but this isn't right. The alphabets are similar yeah, but it looks like a original language." 

"He's right," Andromeda's hologram said solemnly. "There's no sentence structure to the words. I'm not sure I'll be able to decode it without any more information. We need--"

"A Rosetta stone," Harper added.

"Yes," the ship answered. "I'm just afraid Machello is his own Rosetta stone. He may be the only one who can translate this for us."

The engineer felt too weary to talk but pushed himself to stay focused on the conversation. "But it's just a matter of getting him to talk."

"We'll get him to tell us, Harper," Trance said, taking his wrinkled hand into hers.

"Thanks for the confidence. It's nice to hear that from a whippersnapper like yourself."

Trance smiled but said nothing.

"Though," Harper added, "maybe as Captain Cataracts I'm still the whippersnapper to you. You never did tell me your real age."

"We have bigger things to worry about," she said, eluding his question.

"Besides my impending Alzheimer's?"

"Yes in fact," Trance answered, "Tyr and Beka."

Harper blinked. "Last time I checked they were in healthy, normal bodies. Not an old decaying one. They've got it a lot better than me."

"We're afraid they might kill each other," Rommie broke in. "The last time we saw them, Tyr was insisting on using the showers and Beka wouldn't allow it."

"She said she didn't want him-- seeing things," Trance added. "She chased him out into the corridor. I don't know what happened after that."

Harper began to laugh. "That's just like them. Can you imagine if they stayed switched forever? Next week they'd--" He paused, eyes widening before his body went slack on the bed.

"Harper!" Trance called, placing a hand on his neck for a pulse.

"His blood pressure and heart rate are going up," Rommie said, running through the scans the ship had just taken of him.

Trance ran to a side tray and picked up a tiny light. Prying open one of Harper's eyelids and shinning it into one of his pupils, she shook her head. "He's non-responsive. We need a scan of his brain to make sure he didn't hemorrhage-- and we should get a respirator in case his lungs give out. The meds to keep him breathing might work on some, but this body couldn't take them."

"Look at his neural patterns," Andromeda murmured softly to Trance and the alien glanced over at the machines next to his bed. "He's in a coma." 

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Shoving cold grince pudding into his mouth, Frey watched as Machello did the same only much quicker. The human seemed to enjoy the sweet desert, though from the amount dribbling down his chin it seemed he was wasting more than he was eating.

"So Machello… I get the feeling you worked on the kisk mines," Frey said, finishing the last of his pudding. People were always talking about how the raw kisk affected those who worked closest it to it. He wouldn't doubt the little man had been exposed to it. Machello looked young, but there weren't any child labor laws for the mines. As soon as you were strong enough to pick up a tool you were sent in.

Slowing his spoon, Machello frowned. "No, I was a solider."

"Oh."

Machello took another bite but went on. "I fought many battles but was captured and tortured."

"Well, that explains a lot," Frey said, pushing his dessert away.

"I continued to fight and lost all that I loved and cared for," the blonde said, "but I knew I could not surrender… for you, Frey, and your people. If it were not for me, you would all be conquered by now."

"By who?" Frey laughed. "The Pyrians?"

Machello frowned. "That is not a species I am familiar with, but several others would've wiped you out."

"Whatever you say, man."

The little human smiled though and raised his bowl. "But I do not wish to fight any longer. From now on I only want to eat good food and grince, and be with people like you, Frey."

"All good things come to an end Machello."

As soon as he said it, Frey noticed the chance in his new friend. For an instant a dark shadow seemed to have passed before Machello's blue gaze. "No, Frey" he said, "only evil things must come to an end. For good things such as ourselves, it is possible to go on forever."

Frey smiled. "Cool."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Dylan looked up as the doors to his quarters open and Tyr stepped in. Or rather, Beka- it was all still a bit disconcerting. He put down the pad he'd been studying to look up at her.

"You need something, Beka?" 

"I feel like I need to be involved in finding Machello," she replied.

"Actually," Dylan said, "I think we may have him. The High Council just sent a message saying a witness saw a man fitting Harper's description go into a local restaurant. She's sending people over there as we speak."

"Then I want to go."

Dylan shook his head and stood up eyelevel with Beka, something he'd never been able to do in her normal body. "I think you need to stay here. You just have to be patient."

"Patient?" Beka questioned. "I can't be patient when Harper's on meddeck slipping away! I can't be patient and wait for some yahoo civvy-officer of the Councilor to start shooting him and blow any chance we have of saving him!"

Dylan gently put a hand on her hopefully temporary arm. "As much as I'd like to let you go, you're not exactly yourself, Beka. Request denied."

For a moment Dylan thought his first officer would question him-- the anger in her eyes made it possible for anything-- but she didn't in the end.

"All right," Beka agreed, her back to him as she walked to the door, "but pray that they bring that body back in one piece. I spent too many years putting meat on those scrawny little bones of his to lose it now."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

After paying the check and leaving the diner, Machello insisted Frey give him a tour of the city. Frey wracked his brain for something interesting to show his friend but nothing came to mind.

"There's not much to see, little man."

Machello looked up at him and smiled, then peered at the people walking next to them. "It has been a long time since I've ventured out of my home and enjoyed such company. This city has changed much. What do you do around here for enjoyment?"  
  
"Aw, there's not a lot of places to go," Frey said, trying to think of his favorite hangouts. "There's the tracks, and then a few halovid places. You can't forget the bars. Kabelea has great liquor, let me tell you."

"And for females," Machello went on, "how do you go about courting a wife, Frey?"

The alien smiled and glanced a group of approaching female humanoids. "Usually with lots of time, energy, and those creditchips." 

Machello saw the females as well and nodded. "Good, let us begin then." 

"Hold it there, buddy," a strange voice called from behind them.

Frey and Machello turned to see two Kabelea militia soldiers standing three meter back from them.

"I will not go back, it is impossible," Machello replied calmly.

"Just put your hands behind your head," one of the men said, the tone of his voice ice cold.

Frey complied and glanced at the little human. "Do it, Machello. You don't know these guys like I do."

Machello looked up at friend and shook his head. Before the alien could protest the blonde took off. Frey felt one of men push past him and all he could do was yell, "Wait, wait, don't shoot him, man, he's a hero!"

The soldier tackled Machello and the human when down hard. He tried to roll away from the attacking stranger but was quickly overpowered and slammed down again.

"Ah, don't hurt him!" Frey protested, straining to get past the solider who was holding him back. The other pulled out a pair of stun cuffs.

As the militia solider pulled Machello from the ground, arms secured and bleeding from his lip, Frey sadly watched the blonde shake his head before he was led away. 

"You were right, Frey, all good things do come to an end."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Rommie was tired of pacing around the room. Not physically of course; she could walk until he power ran out. No, she needed to be next to him if only to see the slow rising of his chest. The ship's sensors told her all she needed to know, but Rommie felt like she had to look with her own optical sensors. 

"Come on, Harper," she murmured softly as she came to stand before her engineer. "They found the man, they're bringing him in." She took one of his hands and gently squeezed it, hoping for a reaction. "You have to wake up. You can't die on me now, I need you. Who would fix me if you weren't around?"

Rommie was so preoccupied with her speech she didn't register the change in his vitals until a soft voice beneath her whispered, "It's nice to know you don't just like me for my looks."

The android felt her face split into a grin as she looked down at the old man. She hadn't noticed before how similar their eyes were. Maybe that's why she could still see a little bit of Harper in the frail body. 

"Welcome back," she said. "We've been worried."

"Ah well, I don't like to keep my fans waiting very long." He looked around a moment. "What happened?"

"You slipped into a coma. Trance believes your his lungs and heart are failing."

"Oh goodie," Harper mumbled.

The doors to meddeck opened and Trance entered. Since Andromeda has already informed her of Harper's current condition, the alien girl went right to his side and smiled. "Well, it is good to have you back, Harper. You have impeccable timing, they're just arriving in Bay 12 now. Dylan has 'bots getting the machine." 

"I get the feeling this is going to be creepy," Harper said. "You know, seeing my body but it not being-- me."

"That's how I feel right about now," said a deep voice from the doors.

"Hey Beka, you look good," Seamus replied quietly, his strength slowly draining. "Been working out?"

She smiled. "Just a little now and then."

Behind her the body of Beka Valentine entered, followed by Dylan and two maintenance droids carrying Machello's device.

Harper felt his breath catch when he finally saw himself escorted into the room. "I forgot how damn attractive I am," he murmured softly to Rommie. The android blinked at him once then returned her attention to the door.

Harper watched as Machello was taken to the center of the room to stand in front of Captain Hunt. The High Guard officer took a few inspecting steps around the smaller body before coming to face the man. Harper thought about calling him a doppelganger but realized that wasn't quite the right word. 

"Reverse what you've done to my people."

Machello's gaze didn't waver from Dylan's. "I cannot do what is impossible."

"Then you won't cooperate?"

"On the contrary," Machello countered, "I am telling you the truth, it is not possible." 

"Why is that?" Trance asked from afar.

Machello looked up at her, staring briefly as if to determine what species he was talking to. When she glared back he merely shrugged. "In simplest terms, the device retains a memory of every transference. For the very reason you're asking me, I designed it to so it encrypts the transference, blocking any reversal."

Dylan stepped forward in order to tower over the smaller intruder. "Then reprogram it so it will _unblock _it."

"You do not have the necessary technology of my homeworld." Machello glanced over at the familiar body in the bed staring up at him. "Even if I wanted to change it, I could not."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

TBC…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

*ducks behind computer waiting for the tomatoes to be thrown*

It takes 30 seconds to review. What else are you going to be doing for the next half a minute?

Here, I'll make it simple. If you want, just copy and paste one of these:

Wow! That was good!

Wow! That sucked!

See, easy AND painless

~*~

Harper's Pixie: Nice job with catching my (err, Tolkien's) elvish "Hannon Le". Your geekiness almost rivals mine. The scenes where those words come out of Aragorn's mouth are some of my very favorite. (Aragorn looking very Kingly… Legolas' white outfit. O' be still my heart.) Merry and Frodo are on the way to your house as we type, but alas, I said the extra hobbit couldn't be of the Took genus. How about Sam's Gaffer or Farmer Maggot?

Echo24: The only problem with doing "Need" is that Beka has already gone through an addiction episode and I don't know if I'd want to do it again. We'll see. But "Legacy" is a sure thing. ;D And I'm getting more and more intrigued with the idea of Harper being drug away by an Unas-like creature.


	4. What your enemy fears

There's a part coming up at the end that can be a bit confusing-- so just read it slowly and visualize what's happening. You can do it. 

Someone offered to help beta this but they haven't gotten back to me yet. So, same old typos.

-Chapter 4-

~*~

__

"You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you."

-Eric Hoffer

~*~

Machello could do nothing but pace around the demoralizing cell he's been placed in. Things had almost gone well. He'd been so close to freedom he could taste it… but these people refused to let him be. They didn't know what he'd been through. They saw him as a potential enemy and nothing more. 

He made a turn and headed back towards the other side of the small room, unsure of what was delaying them. They should have been there by now. 

Abruptly the doors to the brig began to open and Machello froze his steps. The field keeping him inside the cell disappeared and the High Guard man entered along with the alien girl.

"Thank you for coming," Machello said, nodding in their direction.

"We hope you're enjoying the scenery," the alien greeted, "it's the only view you'll have for the rest of your life."

Machello's eyes narrowed. "Yes, that is why I called you; I thought perhaps I might be able to negotiate for better accommodations."

"We're listening," Hunt affirmed. 

"First, let me apologize for the unfortunate transference of your first officer and the Nietzschean."

Hunt raised his voice. "Just get to the point."

Machello nodded towards the flexi in Trance's hand. "The symbols you've no doubt tried to decipher are unique. In form they are similar to my native language, but they're actually an original code I devised in case my work came into enemy hands."

"But we're not your enemy," the golden one said, "if anything we're allies."

"That is why," Machello said, looking again to Dylan, "I will teach you the codes. With my knowledge I guarantee you will not only be able to effectively defend yourself against enemies like the Magog, you will in fact be able to defeat them."

"And our cost for this knowledge?" the female, Trance, asked.

"My freedom, of course."

Dylan frowned. "And Harper?"

Machello shrugged again. "He is not an issue."

"Not an issue?!" Trance felt her anger rise. "We're talking about a friend's life here. How can that not be an issue?"

"Your friend was my solution to hiding my face permanently," Machello intoned. "Consider him a casualty of war. I am offering you the salvation of your galaxy. Is this not worth more than the life of one _human engineer_?"

For a moment Machello though the tall man before him would strike out. Instead Hunt calmly locked his blue eyes upon Machello's own. "I don't know about the customs on your planet, but on this ship the value of a life is priceless."

As Hunt turned to leave the cell Trance stepped closer to the captive. "I want you to get to know your casualty," she said and waved a hand towards the entrance. "Lets go."

Leading the complacent man towards meddeck, Trance had no idea what was running through Machello's head. Was he angry? Content? Sad? No emotion could be seen on the blank face of the prisoner- the blank face of Harper. Usually it was easy to tell her friend's feelings by just a quick glance. When the human was happy, he showed it. When something was wrong his face chanced just as much as his attitude. 

"Inside," she said, prodding the man through the opening doors and towards the occupied bed. "I believe you two have met."

Harper didn't say anything as Trance maneuvered Machello to the empty seat next to his bed. Rommie squeezed his hand and backed away. Harper acknowledged her and then focused his attention on his stolen image, glancing up and down at the familiar, skinny frame. "Well," he finally replied, "from what I can see, you're looking good."

Machello snorted. "What would you have me say? I am sorry? I wish I could undo it? I do not."

"And why's that?" Harper asked quietly.

"Why?" the other mimicked. "Because I earned it, that is why. I earned it because I sacrificed my life for you and your people. The least you could do is compensate me with another."

Harper felt like yelling out but composed himself. From what Trance was saying, it probably wasn't a good idea anyway. His lungs couldn't take the abuse. Instead he glanced calmly at the man across from him. "Who exactly gave you the right to judge the value of my life?"

Machello's blue eyes filled with fury. "I have suffered more than anyone should suffer in a lifetime; for fifty years I fought against my enemies. I was finally betrayed and turned in by my closest friends."

Harper shook his head and laughed lightly. "I've been betrayed by a lot people in my life. And the torture thing? It's not so bad once you get used to it."

"At least you still have a planet and _friends_," Machello spat. "Two billion of my people died rather than surrender me to the Nietzscheans." 

"You've made sacrifices and we owe you… gratitude, but that still doesn't give you the right to take another's life."

Machello sneered. "If you had the technology, you would do the same."

"No, I wouldn't," Seamus answered, his voice becoming hoarse. "If I did I would be no better than the Niets." 

"I am nothing like them!"

"The Nietzscheans use slaves because they think they are better than humans, because they believe they _deserve _it," Harper said, memories of his past flooding back. "You're a Nietzschean, Machello. I'm nothing but a slave to you-- someone you can use and dispose of at will."

"I am _not _a Nietzschean," Machello replied, his words full of bitterness.

Harper felt his chest tightening. "My planet is still salvageable. There's a chance I could still help save it-- you're stealing that chance."

Machello leaned closer, blue eyes on blue. "Even if you still had this body, you will never be able to save your world. It will always be dominated by the Nietzscheans."

"No," Harper protested, his breath now coming in short gasps. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. "I will help it. I will-"

The scanner monitoring Harper began to shrill. 

"His heart's stopped!" Rommie called gravely as Trance ran to his side to read the device. 

Grapping an injector from the tray, Trance hit a sequence of buttons on the side and then placed it on Harper's neck. The scanner continued to shriek.

"Come on, come on," she murmured, staring at the monitor. The shrill suddenly turned into a sluggish beep. "Yes… good, Harper, just stay with us." She turned towards Rommie. "He's got a heartbeat, but I don't know for how long."

"Do you see what you've done?" Rommie called angrily, turning around to face Machello. She'd never been so happy for Harper's emotion programming. "You say you've dedicated your life to helping others… but yet you allow this to happen!"

Machello, who had backed away as soon as the scanner had gone off, now stared down at the bed in confusion. He turned away from the unconscious man a moment before finally looked up again at the android. 

"If I could trade places with him again, I would, but unfortunately I am the only one who cannot," he finally said, his voice no longer holding its typical arrogance. She would almost swear there was a touch of guilt in his pale eyes. 

"Wait a minute," she questioned, "_you're _the only one who can't?"

"Yes."

Rommie looked down at Harper. "I don't know why I didn't think of this before."

"What is it?" Trance asked.

"I have an idea," Rommie said, "but I need Beka and Tyr."

~*~

As soon as she'd heard Andromeda's message, Beka was out her door and running towards meddeck as fast as Tyr's boots would take her. She wasn't sure what had happened, but a sick feeling was growing inside her stomach-- just enough to make her want to throw up her lunch.

Slamming a palm on the opening mechanism, the veteran pilot threw herself though the doors and right into herself.

"Tyr!" she called as the two collided. She managed to grab Tyr before he toppled backwards. 

"Sorry," she amended. "What's going on?"

"I was about to ask that," Tyr said, "but was _rudely _interrupted."

"I think I may have come up with a solution," Rommie said, stopping the two before they decided to continue arguing.

Beka sighed. "Finally."

"Whatever you're going do, Andromeda," Trance said, "do it fast."

Rommie nodded. "It's a little confusing so I need you to do exactly as I say; we're going to play, as Harper would say, a little game of musical chairs with your bodies. First… Tyr, you and Machello will switch."

Looking unsure but trusting the android, Tyr and Machello moved in front of the device. Both slowly put their hands on the machine and waited for the impending shock.

After a moment, Rommie looked them over. "Tyr?"

Now encased within Harper's much smaller body, Tyr grunted out, "I'm here."

The now female Machello looked at his new hands and up towards Rommie. "The transference was successful, physically we are fine."

"All right, now you two," Rommie said, indicating Beka and the unconscious Harper.

Mentally bidding farewell to Tyr's muscles, Beka placed her hands on the handles and watched as Trance gently placed Harper's aged hands on the other side.

Watching from the side, Dylan held his breath as Tyr's hands let go. "Harper?"

Seamus Harper, now looking very much like a Nietzschean, blinked owlishly. "Whoa, what a dream. What happened?"

"I don't have time to explain right now, Harper, just bare with me," Rommie said.

The engineer nodded.

"Little Professor."

Harper turned quickly around to look at… himself. He felt his jaw open. "Tyr?" he squeaked.

  
Tyr signaled him over.

By the bed, Machello glanced at Trance and the raven haired android. "I wish I had time to teach you the symbols. In your hands my inventions could go on fighting our enemies."

Rommie nodded quickly. "It's all right, we'll figure it out." She motioned toward the device and the man on the bed. "Please."

For a moment Machello's hands wavered over the handles as if contemplating the choice. He looked around the deck a moment then closed his eyes and nodded. He let his hands drop and electrically filled the air again.

The room was silent until Beka jumped away from the device. "Yes!" she exclaimed triumphantly. Beka studied her arms and hands and let out another whoop of joy. 

Rommie looked at the still mismatched Tyr and Harper and waved them over.

"Our turn," Tyr said, pushing the much larger form towards the machine. One by one they placed their hands upon it, waiting for the change.

When they pulled away neither said anything. It was Harper's grin that told everyone in the room things were back to normal. "I'm me again!" he exclaimed proudly. "My hands… my hair… my-- hey where's my tool belt?"

As Harper turned towards Rommie to ask about his wayward belt, Beka moved towards Tyr. 

"Take a shower?!" she yelled, raising her hands as if to strangle the taller figure. Even when Beka came within a few centimeters from his throat, Tyr didn't move. Knowing she couldn't really do anything to him, Beka balled one fist and hit him in the shoulder. "Eeezh." 

The Nietzschean waited until Beka turned before smirking.

"Machello's conscious again!" Trance called, breaking apart the conversations.

Everyone on the deck paused to look at the old man. Harper cautiously stepped forward and came to the other side, staring at the man who had nearly taken his life… yet hadn't.

Machello gazed back, tears obscuring his vision. "Thank you," he said softly, "for my holiday." As the last word fell from his mouth, the monitor's scanning Machello's heart began to flat line. 

Leaning over the body an knowing she could do no more for him, Trance gently closed the man's lifeless eyes and switched off the medical device. As she turned back towards the group, Dylan looked at the crew around him and smiled sadly.

"Welcome back everyone."


	5. Epilogue All the world is a stage

-Epilogue- 

~*~

"All the world is a stage,   
And all the men and women merely players.   
They have their exits and entrances;   
Each man in his time plays many parts."

-William Shakespeare

~*~

"I thought you really wanted one of those?"

Harper shrugged and hefted the hoverboard to his other arm. "I do-- but every time I look at it I'll think about what happened. I don't want that, Rom."

"Do you hate him?" Rommie asked.

"Who? Machello?" He shrugged. "No-- I mean, don't get me wrong. At first I hated his guts.. but now, I guess I can't bring myself to think that way about him anymore. He wasn't some evil guy trying to take over the galaxy. He just wanted to live a normal life; something we all want. We weren't so different really."

"He was willing to use you for his own purposes," the android prodded.

"Yeah, but he didn't in the end." Seamus paused a moment, thinking about his own past. "I've done some pretty downright awful stuff in my life. All that matters now is that he and I changed in the end. It's the only thing we can do."

Rommie smiled and put an arm around his shoulder. "That's nice to know."

The two walked side by side in the Kabelea streets towards the hoverboard shop. It had been a day since Machello had died and Harper had been getting antsy aboard the ship. Trance had given him a full medical exam to make sure there hadn't been any after effects from the machine, but the tests had all come back negative. He would be fine, as would Tyr and Beka. 

Dylan and the High Councilor had taken custody of Machello's other devices, though it was unlikely any of them would ever be used again. They still had been unsuccessful in translating the language and Harper knew that if Andromeda couldn't crack it, it was unlikely anyone else ever would. Countless inventions that could have been used against the Magog were now forever gone. He didn't mind the idea of using them on the Nietzscheans, but since some of them were so-called allies of the Commonwealth, he would have settled for stopping his second most hated enemies instead.

"Machello!"

Seamus stopped walking and tilted his head. "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Rommie asked.

"I thought I heard--"

  
"Machello, wait!"

Harper and Rommie both turned to see a Kabelean running towards them waving his arms. The alien could have passed for human on most worlds, save for the two short antae that jetted out from his messy hair. His clothing was a bit tattered and Rommie concluded that he was probably homeless. 

"Uh…" Harper murmured when the other came to stop before him. "Hi?"  


The alien smiled and grabbed his arm. "I was worried when they took you away. What happened?"

"I… do I know you?" Harper asked, looking over at Rommie.

"It's me, Machello… Frey. You don't remember? We met yesterday."

"I'm not who you think I am," Seamus tried to explain. "That really-- well, that wasn't me. My name is Harper."

"What are you talking about? It was definitely you, man."

"Well there was this device--" Harper began but Rommie cut him off. The android stepped up to Frey and stretched out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Harper's sister."

"Uh, hello," Frey said, taking her hand. 

"You said you met my brother yesterday?" she asked, putting on a gentle smile.

"Yeah."  
  
Rommie let go of Frey and took Harper's hand. "My brother takes medication for a personality disorder, but yesterday morning forgot. By the time we realized it he was already gone. You said he was going by the name Machello?"

Frey nodded, looking concerned. 

"Well that's a new one. He's gone by Nyan and Tyr before but never Machello."  
  
"Nope, it was definitely Machello," Frey answered. "He uh, he paid for my lunch. We talked and he said he was a solider. A hero."

"I'm no solider," Harper said. 

"I'm really sorry, if I had known he was sick I would have gotten a hold of you," Frey replied, looking at Rommie.

"You couldn't have known. But it sounds like you kept him from getting into any trouble." She smiled. "I thank you for that."

Frey nodded nonchalantly. "Sure I guess… well look, I better be going. It was… it was nice to see you again Mach-- Harper."

"You to," Seamus answered. As the alien turned from the pair and began to walk away, Harper glanced at the object in his arms and called him back. "Hey, Frey… why don't you take this. I don't need it."

Frey paused and considered it. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I won't use it. Go ahead."

Harper handed the hoverboard to him and Frey grinned. "Thanks, man. Dinner and a hoverboard. Maybe you aren't a universal hero, but you're pretty close."

Harper watched Machello's friend take off down the street with his board and turned back to Rommie. 

"Hero? I like the sound of that, Rom Doll."

Rommie smiled and put her arm around him again. "I don't get the feeling Dylan is going to think of you as very heroic when he gets the bill Machello spent with your credit chip. It looks like he bought dinner for thirty people."

Harper frowned. "Ah come on, that's so not my fault!"

"I wouldn't expect him to give you a new credit chip anytime soon."

"But-- but I--"

"Come on, Harper," Rommie said, "We've got to meet Dylan at the capital building so lets hurry."

Watching the human pout next to her, Rommie almost smiled but decided to hold it in. She would let him complain and whine until they reached their destination. Of course as soon as they arrived and realized that Dylan had arranged a private meeting with Dek Farplay he would stop, but until then she would walk and pretend nothing was out of the ordinary. Besides… the look on his face after meeting his idol was a good enough reason to keep quiet.

"Hey, Rom?" Harper inquired after a few minutes of quiet walking.

Rommie looked over. "Yes?"

Her engineer paused a moment then cheekily asked, "Is it wrong to think my sister's hot?"  


~*~

The End

Started: Oct 26, 2003.  
Ended: Dec 7, 2003.

Now, whether you're reading this days after it was posted or a year from now, please leave a review. Remember, feedback is the breakfast of champions. Plus, I really like getting those emails that say _[FanFiction.Net] Review Alert! _much more than the porn ones.

I always (and still do) think Stargate's "Holiday" needed an epilogue. I mean, poor Fred! He meets this guy who is incredibly nice to him… and then the dude's arrested and never seen again.

I don't know if you guys noticed or not, but I continually referred to Harper and Machello's eyes being similar (in color, etc) for a reason. For anyone who might not know, Machello on Stargate was played by Michael Shanks (aka Daniel Jackson). Why the producers wanted him to do both parts is anyone's guess, but it was an interesting choice. Even though they had MS piled high with age makeup, the eyes were still the same.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to say a few words. They're greatly appreciated… and make me feel like a halfway decent writer. 

Now go watch the new season of Stargate on _Sci-Fi _(or season six in syndication) and be merry. Apparently Tribune has sold the rights of Andromeda to _Sci-Fi, _so in season five the new episodes will aire on cable and then a week or so later in syndication. I believe I heard that season four will move to _Sci-Fi _in March as well. Stay tuned.

~*~

Harper's Pixie: When you said, _"**I'd love to see Legacy as one...hey what about that one episode...god what was the name the one Daniel went all Schizo after he and the crew find Machello's Goa'uld killing device…" **_Iwasn't sure if you were being sarcastic or not, but that episode you described *is* "Legacy".

I'd enjoy doing "Need"… but like I've previously mentioned, Andromeda has already had a drug episode. But no "Meridian". Never, ever, ever. There will not be any ascension in my fic world thank you very much.

I could do "Gamekeeper" because apparently that world already exists in the Andromedaverse. Remember the first season 4 episode Tyr was in? He and Beka were in a garden strolling past a very familiar glass dome.

~*~

Hey look at all this space… perfect for recs! All of these are on FF.N.

Searching for a good fic about:

Lord of the Rings: Look up The Nightrunners. Their story _Brothers in Arms_ is fantastic. It's set in modern times (typically I shy away from stuff like this because they are horribly written) but this story is wonderful. Trust me and try it.

Star Wars: Cynical21 writes (young) Obi-Wan stories that are utterly heart wrenching one moment and charming the next. By far my favorite author (fics or books) ever. Try _An Untimely Frost. _Feel the Obi love.

Harry Potter: My dear (real life) friend Adipodes Poe has several stories posted. Huge R/H shipper. I'm not the biggest "romance" fan, but she always finds a way to make them new. Plus she's finally doing an action/romance story. I have to keep prodding her along with the action because she tends to dwell in the mush (at least that's what I call it). If she finds out I said that I'm a dead woman walking. ;D

Stargate: Try DarkQueenOfTheWhump's "Ghosts". Not only is she a close online friend, but an amazing writer. She has a way with words I can't even begin to mimic. Plus, I put on my Creative Consultant of Doom hat and helped her along with some of the plot. *grin*

If you read any of these stories and enjoy/hate them, please, please feel free to come back and tell me what you thought.


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